One of the most critically acclaimed country artists of her generation, Ashley Monroe covers one of her idols, Dolly Parton, on the tune - My Tennessee Mountain Home. Both from the mountains of East Tennessee, Ashley is on the road promoting her new album, The Blade. When asked to select one Dolly song to cover, Ashley chose the one about home. "I know the feeling she's talking about when she singing that song — the peacefulness that goes along with being in east Tennessee when you're sitting out on your front porch," Monroe told Rolling Stone.
What is your favorite Ashley Monroe or Dolly Parton song?

August is almost here and Tennessee has some can't-miss festivals. Here's your sneak peek on what's coming up next month. Do you have these 4 festivals on your calendar?

Fine Cuisine and Crafts in Lenoir City

Here are two good reasons to go to Lenoir City:

The first is the new Le Noir A Belgian Southern Bistro, which opened a few weeks ago, offering Belgian Southern fusion cuisine. Think wholesome Southern food with a European flavor: homemade meatballs with Provencale sauce and tender beef chunks in Flemish beer-flavored brown sauce.

Owners Chantal Kieckens Love (pictured left) and Jan Van Geyt, both from Belgium, have strong familial ties to bakeries, cafes and traditional foods. Both have a natural gift for hospitality and knowledge of foods people want. Love, who descends from a line of bakers, restaurant owners and great cooks, has worked for Bush Brothers for 12 years. She operated a side business making Belgian waffles at festivals and baking delectable Belgian brownies. Van Geyt is a professionally-trained chef who has owned a restaurant in Belgium and worked as a chef at The Buccaneer resort in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Le Noir — a play on the city’s name and French for “black” — offers a relaxed elegant setting with black upholstered accent pieces, red leather chairs, and vintage collectibles that give the interior an old, European ambience. Landscape photography by Ryan Justice and brilliantly colored paintings by Karen Reeves grace the walls.

Located at the corner of Broadway and Kingston Street, Le Noir pulls a clientele from nearby Farragut, Tellico Village, Loudon and other communities. The atmosphere is welcoming for families as server Jaydin Hurst participated in friendly conversation with us throughout the evening. Dinners are in the $12 to $16 range; lunch specials are $9, with sandwiches and burgers running $7 to $11. The bistro is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

You’ll also want to travel to Lenoir City for the Lenoir City Arts and Crafts Festival June 7-8. It is one of the best crafts fairs in East Tennessee. More than 240 crafters will take over the peninsula at Lenoir City Park. The setting on the shores of Fort Loudoun Lake couldn’t be more beautiful as the busy marina is just steps away.

Many exhibitors will demonstrate their crafts and talk about their art. Local and regional artisans will include woodworkers, ceramic artists, jewelry makers, basket weavers, metal workers, and fabric artists. Storytellers, musical performers and food vendors will add to the festival atmosphere.

This fun festival had humble beginnings as a clothesline art show in 1962. Now it draws huge crowds. Shuttle buses will carry people from nearby parking lots to the park. Admission is $3. The festival is sponsored by the GFWC Suburbia Women’s Club. Proceeds support scholarships and community organizations.

This conversation is missing your voice! We can´t wait to hear what you have to say. All we ask is that you keep the conversation positive and spam free. All comments are moderated and innapropriate comments will be removed. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to chat with us!

Find unique stories

interests

places

About Tennessee TripTales

Tennessee TripTales takes readers off the beaten path for an authentic Tennessee experience. From East to West and North to South, our TripTales serve as an insiders guide to the sights, sounds and soul of Tennessee.

Whether you're big city, low country or somewhere in between, TripTales will bring you the local lowdown on food, music, shopping, outdoor adventures, family-friendly attractions and more--all in one place, and all from experts who
have been there, done that and told the tale. So, grab your boots and saddle up! We've got a lot of terrain to cover.